


Templum Venus Genetrix

by sophe



Series: Children of Mars - Short Stories [3]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: AU, Children of Mars Universe, F/M, Fluff, Legion - Freeform, Plot With Porn, Prostitution, romantic, slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 17:36:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2437118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophe/pseuds/sophe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joana didn't think that she'd ever come back to whoring, but the way Nerio explained it, it was merely accepting a donation to the Templum and spending time with the donator to show the Templum's appreciation.  She was encouraged to spend time with the donators, to dine with them, partake in conversation, and only under the ideal circumstances did she need to sleep with the Templum visitors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Templum Venus Genetrix

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a one-off short story. I wanted to tell the story about what happened to the Gomorrah after Bellona destroyed the Omertas and intended for it to focus primarily on Nerio. However, as a gardener, it was so not to be. Joana's story took over. I haven't decided whether or not to continue Joana and Marcus' story, so that's why it's labeled as unfinished. Suffice it to say, this story can stand on its on as one chapter and the reader can decide what Joana's decision will be or maybe I'll continue it and decide what Marcus and Joana's future will be.
> 
> While it is part of the Children of Mars universe, it doesn't really fit into Versa Roma. Although, fair warning, at some point Versa Roma will probably reference back to certain events in this story.

Nerio closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair. Her life might not have been perfect before, but it was better than what it could have been. And now, now it was different. She wasn't certain that this was the life she expected to be leading, but she had even more control. If it could be called that. At some point she had moved from slave to pimp. Granted she was a benign pimp, if there could be such a thing, but that's what she was.

Twenty women had sat before her, presenting their case as to why she should allow them to work for her and twenty women were unsatisfactory. None of the women could read, they all looked worn out, far older than their actual years, and all of the women couldn't even pass the physical. She looked at Siri.

"The girls we need won't come to us."

"So we make the girls we have available into the girls we need." Siri flipped through the files she had compiled. "There are only five who can't be cured."

Nerio rubbed her hand over her forehead. "So we can cure fifteen of the girls, but they are still worn out."

"They can recover. Once they get regular meals, they will look less tired."

Nerio leaned back in the chair again and stared at the door. Willing a younger version of herself to walk through the door. "Alright, so we'll work on the fifteen. But what of the other five. Bellona was very specific, if they chose to work for the Empire, they would not be turned away."

"Administrators?"

Nerio actually laughed. "They can't read much less add numbers together."

"So you'll teach them." Siri still didn't look up from her files.

"Me?"

"Yes. There was a time when you had no education, Nerio. Before she took an interest in you. It is time that you passed on your good fortune."

"I hate you."

"No you don't." Siri stood up and set the files into two separate piles on the desk in front of Nerio. "I will be back next week for another checkup."

"I really do hate you." Nerio dropped her head down on the desk, banging her forehead against the files.

Siri chuckled and left the office to return to the hospital. She remembered Nerio's reluctance, her insolence towards the priestesses who had been instructed to train her. Nerio had grown into a strong and capable woman because she had the support of others around her. It was time for her to pay her debt.

*******

Ralph looked around the interior of the Gomorrah with a critical eye. "Less red."

"I know. I was thinking blues and greens?"

"Light?"

"High Priestess Nerio." A deep voice rumbled behind Ralph and Nerio and Nerio grinned.

"Aloysius?" Nerio looked over her shoulder. "I didn't expect you to be visiting the Templum."

"The Caesara assigned me to your protection. And I would add lavender to the palette"

Ralph's eyes crinkled as he turned to study the large man standing behind them.

Nerio crossed her arms over her chest and studied the Bellonarii. "Ralph, this is Aloysius. Aloysius, this is Ralph. He's helping me with supplies. You may speak freely, he's one of us as much as there's an us."

"And here I thought you would have come to me for advice on colors."

Ralph covered his dropped jaw with his finger tips and looked over the Bellonarius with new appreciation. "Well this is unexpected."

Aloysius winked at the merchant. "There's a girl to see you, Nerio. She used to work here."

Nerio's eyes widened. "Oh?"

"She has the potential to be attractive, well more attractive than the women who stayed. She looks a little tired, but I think it's temporary." Aloysius glanced at Ralph.

"He adores Bell, and Ianus and Alerio have charmed his partner, so there's not much you can say that will find its way to enemy ears." Nerio rolled her eyes. "If I had half her charm…"

"You'd be the high priestess of Templum Venus Genetrix." Aloysius refused to allow Nerio to talk about herself as a second rate Bellona.

"What's her name?" Ralph returned his attention to the fabric swatches.

"Joanna."

Ralph smiled at them. "Well, if the stories are true, the best the Gommorah had to offer is returning home. Let her know that when the Caesara learned about Cachino's predilections, she wished she could kill him all over again."

"Give me five minutes then send her to my office." Nerio swished out of the lobby and through a door that led to the least offensive room in the entire building.

Ralph held up two yellow swatches. "Which one for the Novitiates' uniforms?"

"The brighter one with a white sheer overlay to mute the brightness." Aloysius didn't even pause to consider his advice.

Ralph looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "I didn't realize the Bellonarii had the same liberties as others."

"Bellona never minded and rites aren't about relationships."

"So you're single?" Ralph walked around the lobby draping fabrics over furniture and hanging it from the walls.

"It's difficult to not be when one is in the Bellonarii." Aloysius glanced at the clock on the wall.

"I know someone. Very discreet. Very handsome. And very single."

Aloysius leaned against the large planter. "Oh?" Since being assigned to the Templum and Nerio, life was much calmer and maybe it would be easier to not be single in the Bellonarii.

"The next time you have a night off, visit the Tops and see the show. The comedy act is well worth the visit. In fact, why don't you and Nerio come with Mick and me to the show later this week?"

Aloysius just shrugged his shoulders, "perhaps." He turned and walked out of the main room to find Joana and bring her to Nerio.

*******

Joana stood in front of the mirror of her room and looked at her reflection. The yellow gown dropped in loose folds from her shoulders to her feet. She tightened the belt around her waist so that the sheer fabric laying over the dress was held in place. She smoothed her hair back in the tight knot fastened at the nape of her neck. 

She didn't think that she'd ever come back to whoring, but the way Nerio explained it, it was merely accepting a donation to the Templum and spending time with the donator to show the Templum's appreciation. She was encouraged to spend time with the donators, to dine with them, partake in conversation, and only under the ideal circumstances did she need to sleep with the Templum visitors.

In return for her room, board, and medical care, she was expected to better educate herself. Nerio had explained to all of the men and women who worked in the Templum that it wasn't quantity, but quality that was important. The Templum provided a weekly stipend for incidentals and put money aside for when she retired. In short, as long as she didn't cause a problem, or cheat the Templum, the Templum would provide for her.

But most importantly, she could say no. She chose when to work and she chose if the donator would have more than a meal with her. She chose if and when she laid down on the Templum bed and parted her legs in gratitude to the Goddess.

Nerio trusted her judgment as well. The High Priestess effectively discouraged the men who would cause harm to the Templum novitiates and the constant presence of two Bellonarii kept the worst of them away. Joana picked up a brush from the small table and applied a light layer of cosmetics. That was something else Nerio taught the girls, how to apply cosmetics in order to enhance features instead of the thick covering they normally used to camouflage the marks.

Her hand trembled and she dropped the brush to the table. That was the biggest rule and one that was completely non-negotiable. Any novitiate caught using chems beyond their regulated dosages was dismissed. Of course, the Templum tried to detox the novitiates, but they weren't always successful. Some of the girls just couldn't say no to the chems that the Omertas had forced upon them.

Joana knew what it was like on the Strip. It was better, in a way, since the Empire took over, but it also meant that it was difficult to find work if you didn't have skills. Joana didn't have any skills beyond sex. She could have worked the corners she supposed, but the Templum gave her a sense of dignity she never had before. When she walked in the streets, she didn't hear any snide comments or have merchants turn away from her. Instead the men of the Empire seemed to defer to the novitiates, actually showing them respect, even though most were women.

There was a knock at the door and Joana jumped at the sound. She opened the door and smiled when she saw Nerio standing there.

"I have your dosage." The priestess stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "How are you doing?"

Joana shrugged her shoulders. "As well as I can be I suppose."

Nerio held out the med-x. "Siri thinks that we can halve your dosage again."

Joana stared at it before finally taking it from Nerio's hand. "I hate it."

"I know." Nerio sat down in one of the two chairs in the room and watched as Joana took the dosage. "How are your lessons going?"

Joana nodded her head as the drug made its way through her body, regulating the imbalance the withdrawal had caused. "I think they're ok. I don't understand why we need to learn about artists and musicians and writers though."

"Because the men who use the Templum services know about artists, musicians, and writers, and you must be able to have conversations with them." Nerio smoothed the lavender fabric over the tops of her thighs.

Joana sat down across from Nerio. "I didn't realize that the men of the Empire were so cultured."

Nerio actually laughed. "They aren't. But if one wants to be promoted and have success it is helpful if one works on the characteristics that are exonerated by the leadership." She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The Caesar and Caesara are educated and they expect those who benefit from their leadership to also be educated."

"Do you know the Caesar?"

"I know the Caesara."

"What are they like?"

"I'm… I don't socialize with them. The Caesara manipulated my education before the Empire, but our interactions are limited. As they should be."

"But you lived in the 38 with them."

"So do many people within the Empire, but my role is that of Priestess of the Templum Venus Genetrix and so I am now living within the Templum. And not all residents of the 38 socialize with the Caesar and Caesara." Nerio fixated on smoothing out the creases of her gown. "Your favorite gentleman has requested your services again. Is this the fourth of fifth time now?"

Joana accepted the change of subject. "This will be his fifth. Nerio, he visits once a week, but he never requests more than dinner."

"And you are disappointed?" Nerio crossed one long leg over the other and flipped the delicate slipper against the heel of her elegant foot.

Joana studied the gesture. She practiced all of the Priestess's gestures in the privacy of her room and filed away the subtle nuances for future reference.. "I guess I just expected that the main reason for the Templum was to regulate prostitution."

"The men of the Empire wish to spend time with beautiful and educated women. You have only witnessed the Legion prior to the Empire. But in Flagstaff, the wives of officers directly reflect upon the officers. With the right wife, an officer can find success within the Legion. It only follows that it would be the same for the Empire."

"Ok, but he still doesn't want to have sex with me?"

"I think that he enjoys your company and would rather spend time with you than with one of the daughters of the Strip being thrown at young officers. You make no demands on him."

"Do you know Marcus?" She stood back up and returned to the mirror to finish applying her cosmetics.

"I know men like Marcus, and I know who he is, but I do not personally know Marcus." Nerio stood up from the chair and stepped behind Joana, apprising the novitiate's appearance. She made a sound of approval and nodded her head. "When you finish your shift this evening please find me."

Joana stiffened. "Is everything ok?"

Nerio smiled. "Of course. It is nothing bad, I just want to discuss a few things with you and we should do it at the end of your shift." Nerio patted her shoulder. "Don't keep Marcus waiting for much longer. He's a patient man, but all men have their limits."

*******

They sat in a private room. Marcus might not have wanted to sleep with Joana, but he enjoyed spending time with her away from the prying eyes of the other men of the Empire. He hadn't even tried to kiss her even once and Joana wondered if she had done anything wrong. The only thing that kept her insecurities at bay was the knowledge that he always asked for her.

Joana stood up and reached out a hand to Marcus. She smiled down at him and he took her offered hand. She pulled him to his feet and led him to the door. "You have an early morning, Marcus."

He nodded his head in agreement. "Yes. Unfortunately."

She stopped to turn and face him. "Unfortunately?"

Marcus blushed, the red flush in his cheeks almost matching the red in his hair and on his neatly trimmed beard. "It would be nice to spend an evening with you and not worry about how we have to end it because I have an early morning."

"Then you need to pay a visit to me when you have the following day off." She smiled and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"You are off duty those nights."

She opened her eyes and stared up at him. "You've checked?"

"Of course I have." Marcus frowned at her surprise.

"I could rearrange my schedule, Marcus."

"I could never ask that of you." He clasped his hands behind his back, keeping his hands away from hers.

"Alright then, I will ask it of you. I would like to spend more time with you, Marcus, so that means I need to know when you have a day off so that you don't have to rush off in order to get to bed so you can be up early in the morning." She smiled, showing him her teeth.

Marcus took a step to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. When she didn't pull away, he pulled her closer to him. Instinctually she tilted her head back so that she could see him and he bent down to kiss her. Her lips felt soft against his and she could feel his erection press against her stomach. When he pulled his mouth away from hers, she rested her head against his chest and they stood together in silence. He finally separated from her.

"Until next week, Joana." He wasn't sure if it was the novitiate or Joana who had pressed against him.

"I'll plan my schedule around your visit, Marcus." She didn't know if he kissed Joana or the novitiate. 

Marcus smiled at her and bowed his head before walking out the door of the private room. Joana pressed the button that notified the servants that the room was now vacant and ready for cleaning. She drank down the rest of the watered wine and took a deep breath before hurrying from the room to Nerio's office.

The Templum was as busy as it usually was most evenings, which was to say that the quiet hum of the conversations of the men and few women who visited buzzed through the large central room. Joana nodded her head in acknowledgment to the other novitiates and lowered her head in respect to the donators. Joana knocked on Nerio's door and waited patiently for the High Priestess to welcome her inside.

"Come in, Joana."

The novitiate opened the door and slipped into the office, closing the door behind her. Nerio waved a hand at the empty chair across from her and Joana took the offered seat.

"How was Marcus?"

Joana felt the warm flush of the blush in her cheeks and smiled at Nerio. "He's as talkative as usual."

Nerio either didn't notice the blush, or more likely, decided to ignore it. "I wanted to discuss your future at the Templum Venus Genetrix, Joana."

"My future here?"

"Yes. I'd like you to consider, very carefully, whether you'd like to be promoted from novitiate to full priestess."

Joana's eyes widened. It was the last thing she had expected to hear from Nerio. "High Priestess, I am honored."

"Yes, yes, I know. You're already the highest earning novitiate, the one most in demand, and let's face it, Joana, your future within the Templum could be very lucrative." Nerio's hand gestured impatiently with her reiteration. "However, there is a cost to initiating past the level of novitiate. You will not be able to marry. Essentially, you will be promising yourself to the Templum. When you decide to retire, you will continue to serve the Templum in some administrative capacity, perhaps even taking on the duties of a High Priestess and in return you will be taken care of for your entire life."

Joana raised a hand, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. "Excuse me, marry?"

Nerio tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Yes, Joana. As a novitiate, you can leave the Templum at any time. You will earn a pension based upon what you have earned for the Templum, but it is likely that the pension will have to be supplemented in some way. As for marriage, a novitiate, at least one of your caliber, would be considered a very good catch for a young officer in the Empire."

Joana licked her lips, which were suddenly dry. "When must I make my decision?"

"There is no limitation. You can make your decision at any time, Joana." Nerio rested her hands on the desk and smiled at her. "This isn't a decision to take lightly. While the Empire can be generous, it will hold you to your promise and I don't think either of us would be happy if you broke your promise to it."

Joana nodded her head. "I think I understand."

"Joana, I think you have the potential to become a High Priestess. I think that the Empire would be lucky to have your service. But I also want you to be very certain of your decision."

Joana pushed at the knot at the nape of her neck and tried to settle the nerves that had invaded her stomach.

*******

Joana smiled at Marcus, ignoring the food on her plate. "Wait, he actually was looking down at his Pipboy and sending a message while being shot at?"

Marcus nodded his head and tried, unsuccessfully, not to laugh.

"Oh my."

"He wasn't the only one. There was enough of an increase in injuries that the Caesar finally had to tell the officers that only Centuriones and their Optiones were allowed to utilize Pipboys."

Joana tilted her head to the side. "Marcus, I have never asked you, what is your rank in the Empire."

"I am an Optio principalis to a Centurio." Marcus looked down at his food, suddenly embarrassed and Joana didn't understand his reaction.

"What does an Optio principalis do?" Joana pulled her legs up underneath her and tucked the skirt of her dress around her legs.

"I'm basically the second in command of a Centuria. I am the second to the Centurio and generally his errand boy."

"I didn't realize that there was a Centuria stationed inside Versa Roma."

"There is always a Centuria stationed here."

Joana perched her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her fist. She had always believed that Marcus was handsome and she knew that the other novitiates felt the same way. "So tell me, Marcus, why do you visit the Templum. I would think that a man of your rank would be very popular with the women of Versa Roma."

Marcus looked down at his food, carefully layering the vegetables with the meat before putting into his mouth to slowly chew. He couldn't very well speak with a full mouth.

Joana wore her hair down in a loose pony tail and pulled the end over her shoulder. "I can wait, Optio principalis." The corners of her lips pulled up into a smile.

He nearly choked on his food when she used his title and drank from his water to help move the food along. "Please, don't call me that." He wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. 

"I'm still waiting." She twisted her body into a coy pose with her shoulders back and chin down so she could look up at him through her eyelashes. It was well-practiced and intended to tempt an admirer. In this case, Joana was using it tease her quarry.

"I have no interest in any of those women."

She watched the blush creep up his neck to his cheeks. The tip of her tongue moistened her lips and now it was her turn to blush. Marcus leaned towards her and lifted her chin so that her lips brushed against his. This time their kiss was different. It started as before, his lips pressing against hers, but eventually their tongues met.

Marcus pulled away, but stayed near. "Joana, I don't wish to go home tonight."

"Then don't." 

Joana took his hand and stood up, leading him from the private room. Instead of taking him to one of the Templum beds, she led him back through the hall to the elevator and then to her personal quarters. They stopped a moment at the door and looked at one another, realizing that there would be no way to undo whatever happened next.

They nodded in unspoken agreement and she opened the door for them to walk through. Once inside she turned on the table lamps, but left the overhead light off. She stood in the center of the room and waited for Marcus to come to her. He took three large steps to her and stopped only when he was as close to her as possible without actually touching her. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest and soon his breath matched hers.

Marcus brushed his hand over her cheek and smiled down at her. Joana closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. He held her cheeks between her hands and pressed his lips against hers. There was no hesitation from either of them. Their tongues danced around one another and she wrapped her arms around his waist. Marcus moved his fingers through her hair, loosening it from its tie so that it fell free.

Marcus pulled from her mouth and continued to kiss her jaw, then her ear, and then down her neck. He moved back to her ear and gently nipped her earlobe. Joana moaned and ran her hands up his back to his shoulders. His hands slid down her back to her bottom and he pulled her tightly against him while his lips and teeth continue to worry at her earlobe.

He whispered into her ear, "Joana, you are the one I am interested in."

She replied by finding his mouth with hers and kissing him with a mixture of hunger and hesitancy, as though she would wake up any moment from a dream.

Marcus moved his hands to the front of her waist and unfastened the belt and dropped it to the floor. He pushed his hands under the sheer overlay and up to her bare shoulders. She shuddered under his touch, and worked her hands to his tunic. They stepped away from one another and without a word, pulled their clothing from their bodies. 

She stood in front of him completely naked and he stopped undressing. He just stared at her. He didn't see the faded flaws on her skin, he only saw her beauty. He saw her perfect breasts and watched as her nipples tightened in the cool air of the room. He couldn't help himself and bent down to kiss each nipple. Joana pressed her shoulders back, lifting her breasts up under the attentions of his mouth. He teased a nipple with his tongue and she moaned.

Marcus stood up straight and took her hand, leading her to the bed. She laid down in the middle and he laid down next to her. He rested on his side, holding his body up with an arm, while the fingers in his other hand moved down along her sternum to her navel. He circled it a few times before dipping down to the lips of her pussy. His fingers slipped through the wetness before circling her clit. As a novitiate, she kept her body well-groomed and the hair covering her mound was neatly trimmed. He pressed his thumb against her clit and smiled as she parted her legs even more for him.

He continued to tease her body, watching it move beneath his ministrations. Eventually she grew impatient. "By the Goddess, undress and make love to me. Please, Marcus." She ground against his fingers.

In an instant he was naked and pushing her legs apart with his knees. He slid his cock into her, and moaned as his cock was wrapped in the smooth wetness of her pussy. He could feel her muscles clutch his cock, capturing it inside of her. They began slowly, but it quickly sped up to an urgent pace and he couldn't stop himself from emptying inside of her. She felt his spasms and her body responded in kind. Her pussy tightened, almost uncontrollably and there was a sudden increase in moisture.

She froze underneath him, her eyes wide. "Oh."

He cocked his head to the side and chuckled at her. "Oh? I am not sure if that is what a man wishes to hear."

She blinked up at him and lifted her mouth up to his, pulling him down to kiss her. "From one such as me it is." He felt her body continue to tighten around his cock and groaned into her mouth.

Marcus rolled onto his back and pulled her along so that she rested on his chest. He tickled her back until she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out. They fell asleep holding one another.

When he woke up in the morning, they were lying on their sides, her head buried against his chest and her leg wrapped over his hip. He pulled his fingers through her hair and she opened her eyes. It took Joana a moment to realize that there was someone in bed with her and another moment to realize who it was. She smiled up at him. 

"I hope I was satisfactory, Optio Principalis." She pressed her hips against his, feeling his erection grow even harder.

Marcus growled and rolled her onto her back. Whatever gentleness occurred the night before was gone. In its place was a strength and power driven be a need to claim. His aggression was met with an uncontrolled release of inhibitions. Just like the night before, they climaxed nearly at the same time. And once again, Joana uttered a high pitched 'oh' of surprise.

Marcus sat up as she stretched out over the surface of the bed. "You know that it does nothing for my ego when you make that noise?"

"It should do much for your ego, Marcus." She purred at him.

He pressed his lips against the point where her clavicles met, moving his mouth along the length of her collarbone to her shoulder. "And why is that, novitiate Joana?"

Joana sat up on her hands, sliding away from his lips. "Because, you were the first man to give me an orgasm."

She couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Really? Never?"

Her laughter grew louder as she fell back on the bed. "I've had an orgasm before, silly, but always by my own hand or by the hand of another." Joana's blush flowed from the tops of her breasts to the crown of her head with the revelation.

They moved from the bed to her bathroom where they shared a long shower, taking care to wash one another. Joana pressed back against his chest while his hands soaped her breasts, stomach and between her legs.

"Nerio asked if I wished to be initiated to that of a full priestess." Joana confessed her secret to him and felt his body stiffen behind her.

Marcus moved his lips along her neck. "Is that what you want?"

"I am not sure what I want." She was honest in her response and she felt him relax. She realized that he understood the full meaning of her words and dropped her head back against his shoulder as his arms tightened around her waist.

Reluctantly they stepped out of the shower and toweled one another off. Marcus dressed and Joana watched him. He fastened the leather kilt around his waist and grinned over at her. "If you stay in the towel, I might find a reason not to leave."

She smirked at him. "Promise?"

He sat on the edge of the bed pulled on his leather boots. "Get dressed, Joana, and I will take you to breakfast at the 38."

She might have been a novitiate at the Templum Venus Genetrix and relatively respected, all things considered, but she had never been welcome through the doors of the 38. The 38 was reserved for the most trusted members of the Empire. She studied the top of Marcus' head for a moment before deciding that she didn't really need to ask any questions if it meant that she might miss out on breakfast. Joana dropped the towel and hurried to her closet. She pulled out her dresses one by one, and put each one aside for one reason or another.

Marcus looked up at her naked back and smiled. "Wear pants and a shirt. The 38 is very relaxed. In fact once I get back, I will change out of my gear."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Really?"

"Really. The Caesara tends to wear pants and no one really wants to out dress her." Marcus stood up and walked across the room to stand behind Joana. He reached over her shoulder and pulled out a worn pair of denim pants and green checked shirt. "This will be perfect."

Marcus sat down in one of the chairs and watched Joana dress. She kept her back to him as she pulled the pants up over her hips and fastened them at her waist. She pulled her shirt on and it didn't escape his notice that she hadn't put on a bra or panties. She slid her feet into a pair of loafers and twisted her into a knot. He decided that he enjoyed watching her dress and wanted to see it again.

She pushed the tail of her shirt down into pants and headed for the door. "Come on, Optio Principalis. You promised me breakfast."

He nearly jumped out of the chair and followed behind her. The Templum was mostly empty, except for the servants cleaning up the common areas, so no one saw their exit. It also meant that no one saw Marcus reach for Joana's hand as they walked out into the street and headed for the 38.


End file.
